I'm writing this on March 7, 2000. Last reading: 2 days ago

Another selection from the sale racks (formerly from a library). I wasn't expecting all that much since I wasn't especially impressed by Gibson's most famous novel _Neuromancer_, and disliked one of his collaborations (The Difference Engine). I had liked several of his short stories from the collection _Burning_Chrome_, though. One of the main problems with _Neuromancer_: Gibson at that time clearly didn't have any idea of what computers did, how they worked, or how people tended to interact with them. He personally expressed disappointment with computers after people showed him what they were doing with them.

With this novel, however, he shows a very clear understanding of the internet culture. In fact, it's so "on the mark" with today's "netizens" that one of the few flaws, in my opinion, is that it projects relatively few societal changes dispite huge changes in technology. But capturing the feel of the internet culture so well is quite an achievement.

To understand my ratings on the various subheadings: the characters were interesting and, for the most part, believable as human beings. Unfortunately, most remained a bit too flat for my tastes. Another difficulty: one of the main characters was just too dumb, in my opinion. The attempt was for a cute naivete, but it went too far too often. But some of the best things were descriptions of a few of the characters, so on the whole, he did pretty well.
The "Plot" category is ranked highest for several of reasons. First, Gibson presents dealing with vast amounts of information in a way that I agree with, and find to be similar to what I've done in grad school: relying first upon intuition, to find the essential "nodal points" in the chaotic patterns of data. Second, he uses cultural references which I understand and enjoy: the various ways of interacting online, extrapolated to a VR-filled future (MUDs, chatrooms, etc.); quite a few references to anime terms, visuals, and culture; the challenges and odd playfulness that can come about when different cultures interact (a main character is "Chia Pet McKenzie," so named because her father was out of town and her mother didn't have a full grasp of English). Third, the book ended with a satisfying sense of closure: the loose threads were tied up pleasantly, the climax was strong and appropriately foreshadowed and paced in the book, etc. Far too often, I'm disappointed by the end of a novel.
The "Storytelling" category was strong but not outstanding. Quite a few novels manage to keep me interested, but never really "hook" me and give me a sense of anticipation for the story to come. This one did have a few really fun turns of phrase that grabbed me, and so is worth ranking highly. But there were also a few times where things seemed a bit disjointed, and just not as much fun to read. It was never even close to bad, but not consistantly strong. Just usually reasonably good, with a few fun, quotable parts.

It's now my second favorite "Cyberpunk" style novel, behind _Snow_Crash_. Well worth reading, especially if you like online culture and anime.